as
Reichsfuehrer
S.S.
On September 20th, Inspectors of Orpo (IdO) and Sipo (IdS) were appointed to each
Wehrkreis
, or Military District, to co-operate with the Gauleiter and the
Wehrkreis
Commander. At the same time it was decreed that the S.S. Leader in each main territorial sector of the S.S. (
Oberabschnitt
) should also be Chief of Police for his area. The State administration was being swamped by the S.S. On the same day the Prussian Gestapo became the headquarters of the Political Police throughout Germany. On October 1st the term Gestapo was extended to cover the unified Political Police of the Reich.
Eight months later, on May 15th, 1937, Himmler, as
Reichsfuehrer
of the S.S. (RfSS), achieved a major objective. It was decreed that all rulings issued by his office were valid as Ministerial decisions. On November 11th, the peculiar affinities of the Gestapo and the S.S. Security Service (S.D.) were recognized by law:
âThe S.D. of the RfSS, as a Party and Reichs Government organization, has to carry out important tasks: in particular it is required to assist the Security Police [i.e., Gestapo and Kripo]. The S.D. is consequently active on behalf of the Reich; and this demands close and intelligent co-operation between the S.D. and the officials of the General and Interior Administration.â
This decree was a logical outcome of a decree of June 23rd, 1938, which laid it down that all Security Police (Gestapo and Kripo) personnel must be enrolled in the S.S. This meant, in effect, that the Gestapo, a State organization, was brought under control of the S.D., a Party organization.
The final stage was reached in 1939 when Heydrichachieved his personal ambition. The Main Office of the Security Police in the Reichs Ministry of the Interior, the Gestapo and the Kripo that is, was taken away from the State organization and from the surveillance of the Minister of the Interior and merged into the Main Security Office of the S.S., which was henceforth known as the
Reichssicherheitshauptamt
, or R.S.H.A., directly under Heydrich. The Gestapo became Section IV of this institution; the Kripo was Section V. The S.D. (home intelligence) was Section III; the S.D. (foreign intelligence) was Section VI. Sections I and II were concerned with Personnel and Administration.
There was also Section N (
Nachrichten
), the all important technical communications section; and, later, when the S.S. was making its bid to duplicate the armed forces, Section VII, which was concerned with Scientific Exploitation, and set up its own rocket research station in rivalry to Peenemuende.
In 1943 the circle was closed when Himmler himself became Reichs Minister of the Interior. By that time Heydrich was dead.
This tabulation of dates and appointments is not irrelevant. It is of extreme importance for an appreciation of the interlocking responsibilities of the Gestapo, the Orpo, the Kripo, the S.D., and the S.S. in general. Great efforts have been made by interested parties to obscure the true picture. At one time and another members of all the organizations listed here have sought to disclaim all connection with each other. But the chain of command and the interlock are both unambiguous.
The Orpo and the Sipo were connected through Himmler as Chief of Police. The leadership of the police and the rank-and-file membership of the Gestapo and Kripo were restricted to the S.S. The Gestapo and the Kripo formed part of the security service of the S.S., first under Heydrich, then under Kaltenbrunner. The S.S. under Himmler also provided the concentration camp guards (Deathâs-head formations), the concentration camp administration (W.V.H.A.), and, later, the special S.S. divisions, the Waffen S.S., which fought at the front. The S.S. in the end became a State within the State, duplicating almost every aspect of the State administration. It capturedthe Intelligence services of the Armed Forces; it duplicated every administrative office; it
Reichsfuehrer
S.S.
On September 20th, Inspectors of Orpo (IdO) and Sipo (IdS) were appointed to each
Wehrkreis
, or Military District, to co-operate with the Gauleiter and the
Wehrkreis
Commander. At the same time it was decreed that the S.S. Leader in each main territorial sector of the S.S. (
Oberabschnitt
) should also be Chief of Police for his area. The State administration was being swamped by the S.S. On the same day the Prussian Gestapo became the headquarters of the Political Police throughout Germany. On October 1st the term Gestapo was extended to cover the unified Political Police of the Reich.
Eight months later, on May 15th, 1937, Himmler, as
Reichsfuehrer
of the S.S. (RfSS), achieved a major objective. It was decreed that all rulings issued by his office were valid as Ministerial decisions. On November 11th, the peculiar affinities of the Gestapo and the S.S. Security Service (S.D.) were recognized by law:
âThe S.D. of the RfSS, as a Party and Reichs Government organization, has to carry out important tasks: in particular it is required to assist the Security Police [i.e., Gestapo and Kripo]. The S.D. is consequently active on behalf of the Reich; and this demands close and intelligent co-operation between the S.D. and the officials of the General and Interior Administration.â
This decree was a logical outcome of a decree of June 23rd, 1938, which laid it down that all Security Police (Gestapo and Kripo) personnel must be enrolled in the S.S. This meant, in effect, that the Gestapo, a State organization, was brought under control of the S.D., a Party organization.
The final stage was reached in 1939 when Heydrichachieved his personal ambition. The Main Office of the Security Police in the Reichs Ministry of the Interior, the Gestapo and the Kripo that is, was taken away from the State organization and from the surveillance of the Minister of the Interior and merged into the Main Security Office of the S.S., which was henceforth known as the
Reichssicherheitshauptamt
, or R.S.H.A., directly under Heydrich. The Gestapo became Section IV of this institution; the Kripo was Section V. The S.D. (home intelligence) was Section III; the S.D. (foreign intelligence) was Section VI. Sections I and II were concerned with Personnel and Administration.
There was also Section N (
Nachrichten
), the all important technical communications section; and, later, when the S.S. was making its bid to duplicate the armed forces, Section VII, which was concerned with Scientific Exploitation, and set up its own rocket research station in rivalry to Peenemuende.
In 1943 the circle was closed when Himmler himself became Reichs Minister of the Interior. By that time Heydrich was dead.
This tabulation of dates and appointments is not irrelevant. It is of extreme importance for an appreciation of the interlocking responsibilities of the Gestapo, the Orpo, the Kripo, the S.D., and the S.S. in general. Great efforts have been made by interested parties to obscure the true picture. At one time and another members of all the organizations listed here have sought to disclaim all connection with each other. But the chain of command and the interlock are both unambiguous.
The Orpo and the Sipo were connected through Himmler as Chief of Police. The leadership of the police and the rank-and-file membership of the Gestapo and Kripo were restricted to the S.S. The Gestapo and the Kripo formed part of the security service of the S.S., first under Heydrich, then under Kaltenbrunner. The S.S. under Himmler also provided the concentration camp guards (Deathâs-head formations), the concentration camp administration (W.V.H.A.), and, later, the special S.S. divisions, the Waffen S.S., which fought at the front. The S.S. in the end became a State within the State, duplicating almost every aspect of the State administration. It capturedthe Intelligence services of the Armed Forces; it duplicated every administrative office; it
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